DPP politician's crude remarks draw ire

TAIPEI--A Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politician has been heavily condemned for his use of offensive language against a university president in a comment on the recent student protests.

The four university associations in Taiwan issued a joint statement Saturday, urging respect for differing opinions in a democratic society.

The verbal attack by Taipei City Councilor Chou Wei-yu has hurt the victim and damaged social morality and deserves “stern condemnation,” said the associations, which together represent over 100 public and private universities in Taiwan.

The associations' statement followed a similar one released Friday by the Ministry of Education.

The reaction came after Chou posted a comment on his Facebook page, referring to National Chiao Tung University President Wu Yan-hwa as a “whore.”

Chou appeared to be unhappy with Wu's criticisms of the students who participated in the recent protests against a trade-in-services agreement with China.

Chou offered an open apology to Wu, women throughout Taiwan and all sectors of society, at a news conference Saturday.

He promised not to make the same mistake again and asked for the chance to apologize to Wu in person.

In response, Wu issued a statement saying that Chou should apologize to all the people of Taiwan for damaging the country's good culture and that she would consult her legal adviser to decide whether to take legal action against him.

The protests over the cross-Taiwan Strait trade pact have given rise to deeply polarized opinions in Taiwan.

Central Police University Yeh Yu-lan received a threatening letter a few days after she presented flowers to Zhongzheng First Precinct chief Fang Yang-ning in a show of support for him.

On April 11, Fang's precinct was besieged by an angry crowd that was demanding his resignation over his decision to disperse a group of protesters in front of the Legislative Yuan. But the police chief has also received an outpouring of support from other groups of people who believe that the rule of law must be upheld.